Well, we haven't heard about Monkey Poop lately. However, today she came back with a boom. It all started when one of my team members came in and requested a Mentor. I told her I was her mentor and what was the problem. She said I didn't have time for her that I was mentoring another teacher. I said I could do both. I was very happy to give her as much time as she needed. She wasn't very comfortable with that. I don't know why. We started talking and it turns out that MP has been "talking" to her about how I do things wrong. When she tried to talk, MP over-road her comments and just kept talking. She said she is having trouble working with MP. She wants to move into our pod but there are only two classrooms in a pod in this part of the building and they are both used by 4th grade teachers. She said everytime we try to plan lessons together, MP comes in with her "problems" and takes over the meeting. She tried to get back to the lesson plans and MP cut her short.
Then today MP wrote our principal a letter that explained all the problems with our school. (She is a first year teacher) I didn't know about the letter and I emailed the principal and told her we were having problems again and I needed help. I don't quite know how to handle someone like MP. I want to be diplomatic and kind but she just walks over me when I do that. I told the boss that it was getting difficult for the team to work with her.
We were called in to a meeting after school. We tried to talk about all the problems our team is having but MP took over the meeting and interrupted everyone with her opinions and issues. No one really got to say much. We had to wait until MP left to really tell the boss what was going on. Even the boss recognized that MP controls everything.
Complaints MP made:
1. We keep getting interrupted with meetings, announcements, awards assemblies, fire drills, people walking into our rooms (special ed teachers picking up their kids) and she wants the interruptions stopped.
2. She thinks it is unfair that I (Meaning me of course) demand they do a certain number of lessons every week and she doesn't have time to finish them all. (I am not the one demanding anything. I am following the district map) Then she walks into MY room and I am doing something fun with my kids. (Funny how she doesn't think walking into my room is an interruption) Let me just say I spend a lot of money on things to make school rewarding and educational. I purchased 10 new Math games to help the kids learn their multiplication tables. She thinks I should have shared them with the team. (NO, I paid for them.)
3. She told the principal that she was doing a very poor job running the school. I almost dropped my teeth (and they are my own real teeth) when she said that. Does she have any idea what it takes to run a school with 1,000 K-5 grade kids? She practically told the boss that everything she does is wrong.
4. She doesn't like the reading coach. She sliced and diced her. She told her that the training she was given wasn't good enough. She needed more information and to be showed how to do everything. This lady has 50 teachers to work with and train. She is fantastic and I love working with her. I realize that maybe the training should be stepped up but you don't cut down the people who are willing to give it to you. If you remember earlier, she wanted me to script the lessons for her so she could teach like me. No one needs another me.
5. She gave me credit for helping her learn how to use the grading program. She said she needed more training to use it as well as the email program. Funny, but those classes have been offered and she has not taken one single one of them. I believe she expects people to teach her one-on-one. It isn't going to happen in a district that is growing so fast we can't keep enough trainers to cover everything.
I am really hoping that this is her one and only year at our school. I am tired of her attitude and self centeredness.